(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to data security. More specifically, the invention relates to securing output data in an isolated execution environment.
(2) Background
Data security is increasingly important in this data-driven society. To that end, multilevel platforms have been developed to support both a normal execution mode and an isolated execution mode. A section of memory is allocated for use only in the isolated execution mode. Encryption and authentication are used any time isolated data is moved into a non-isolated section of the memory. In this manner, data used and maintained in isolated execution mode is not security compromised. However, when an isolated data is output to an output device, such as a display, it may be possible for insecure software to access the displayed data from the display when displayed in isolated execution mode or after the system returns to normal mode. This avenue of attack may compromise the security of isolated data.